This article is a brief description and introduction to the paleo diet. It puts in plain words what the diet is, and the principle behind it, what foods are and aren’t included and the advantages of living a paleo lifestyle.

The paleo diet plan developed millions of years ago and it is also called the “caveman diet”. Take a step back in time with me, thousands of years back, people were taller, more slender, athletic, much healthier and more skilled. I’d say that’s where we got the wheel from. Sorry bad joke.

By definition, the Paleo diet, also known as the Paleolithic Diet is a nutritional plan which is based on the presumed diet of our ancestors living in the Paleolithic period. While the Paleo diet is based on ancient origins, it came into popular attention in the mid 1970’s due to a book created by Walter Voegtlin called The Stone Age diet. According to him, mimicking the diet of the ancients will bring about certain health benefits to modern man in such a way that it will give us a leaner and more fit body because of the high protein, low carbohydrate intake of foods.

Such claims are still debated nowadays by doctors and health professionals. Even so, since the reintroduction of this diet plan, it has been deemed by many as one efficient solution in attaining a healthier life.

To give you an idea I will first talk about the Paleo diet food list for athletes which was composed several years ago. Researchers were working with bodybuilders and some of them were unhappy with the results they were getting so the nutritionists cancelled all sugar, carbohydrates, dairy and other processed foods from their diets. The results were that they put on muscle faster, gained less fat even during bulking phases and they no longer experienced any side effects after training such as headaches, jitters or other problems – not even during weight loss phases.

Another example comes from studies of test subjects who experienced lower abdominal bloating, yeast overgrowth or candida thrush. All of these issues were reportedly intensified and increasing while they were eating their ordinary diets consisting of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, wheat, processed meats and so forth. Within just a few weeks of picking delicious healthy food off a Paleo diet food list these test subjects’ bodies normalized and their health stabilized. The main reason for it was that the yeast overgrowth which causes a host of side effects and ailments was triggered by sugar. The Paleo diet lifestyle involves practically zero sugar except from fruit so while on the Paleo style diet subjects automatically got rid of the excess yeast in their bodies. They experienced fewer headaches, higher energy levels, healthier sleep patterns and an overally intensified level of wellbeing just weeks after starting out on the Paleo diet.

What if I cannot afford it? Aren’t Paleo diet recipes more expensive than “normal food”? Well many people are worried that staying on a Paleo diet food list will bankrupt them. People often automatically assume that healthy food must be expensive. They think it will be overpriced and that the cost effectiveness ratio will be too low to dedicate themselves to it for a long enough period. Well fortunately for everybody who would like to start out living on Paleo foods alone this myth is not actually true. One of the great advantages of the Paleo diet food list which I previously shared on my blog and in some of my articles is that it consists of easily affordable and healthy foods that can all be combined in recipes. That means that rather than having a fridge filled with food that does not go together well you can readily find an adequate Paleo recipe for all the Paleo foods in your fridge. The logical outcome is that a person on the Paleo diet will be able to utilize their food to a maximum; nothing will have to be thrown away any longer. No more mouldy fridges, the Paleo diet is a perfect diet for low-budget chefs like college students. What I recommend in case you really end up having a lot of vegetables and fruit left over is to simply make a smoothie. If you happen to have meat left over as well simply turn all of it into a delicious Paleo stew or a soup. There is basically no way that you will ever be stuck with leftovers on the Paleo diet and that makes it extremely cost-effective and healthy at the same time.

All diet programs tend to stir up ardent supporters as well as vehement detractors. The Paleo Diet is no different in this respect. The thing to understand about the Paleo Diet though is that it is more accurately described as a way of life as opposed to a “diet”. As such, the Paleo approach to burning fat or losing weight continues to attract a lot of attention in the media and on the internet.

If this is your first time reading about the Paleo Diet, it can briefly be described like this: lean, healthy bodies are achieved through eating like paleolithic human beings. Eat only meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and eggs. Avoid whole grain products, dairy, legumes(beans), and processed foods.

Any person who begins a new diet or lifestyle change should look at it with a discerning eye and thoroughly contemplate both the advantages and disadvantages. Consulting with a physician or healthcare professional is never a bad idea either. Then, once you decide to proceed, remain up to date with evolving information.

A lot of athletes have the misconception that a Paleo diet for Athletes is some sort of radical shift in their current diet. Therefore, athletes committing to any kind of physical endurance shouldn’t risk doing it right? Wrong! Paleo is one lifestyle that not only promotes good overall health, it does not require any yo-yoing before, during or after training. You simply eat this way all the time.

While it is true that most athletes eat a pretty healthy diet to begin with, most athletes have far too much starch and carbohydrates in their bodies. By cutting out the starch and carbs, and adding more Paleo foods the body begins to heal itself. It is not running on empty fuel any longer. It is now using the fuel it is intended to use.

Many athletes following a Paleo diet swear by it. There are records of several athletes developing gluten intolerance’s and without knowing it, suffering needlessly for quite some time. However, when these athletes switched to a Paleo diet they were feeling better within days and no longer needed to rely on the starches they were using to build energy, but ultimately making them sick.